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A substance known as the “transfer factor,” which could enhance the body’s defenses against a wide variety of infectious agents.

Institution:

New York University School of Medicine

Researchers:

H. Sherwood Lawrence, MD, director of NYU Langone’s Cancer Center from 1974 to 1979, and director of its AIDS Research Center from 1989 to 1994

Impact:

The “transfer factor” ’is a product of T-lymphocytes. When transferred from immune to non-immune animals, it can enhance the body’s immune system. Dr. Lawrence also identified a link between the way cells respond immunologically to microbes like the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, and conducted research on the immune responses involved in the rejection of transplanted organs.